1,100 homes evacuated in California wildfire

Mandatory evacuations of homes and schools ordered as wildfire in San Bernardino Mountains burns 80 hectares of bush.

30 Apr 2014 20:46 GMT

Smoke forced the evacuations of around 1,100 homes and schools at the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains [Reuters]

At least 1,100 homes and several schools have been evacuated as dry, gusty winds send smoke from a wildfire into a community in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains in California, authorities say.

The mandatory evacuations were ordered on Wednesday due to the smoky conditions in parts of Rancho Cucamonga, a city of 165,000 people east of Los Angeles.

The fire has burned at least 80 hectares of brush sapped of moisture by two days of Santa Ana winds, unseasonably high temperatures and low relative humidity.